NLNG renews commitment to Train 7 plant

The new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Liquefied and Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Tony Attah has expressed the company’s commitment to the construction of Train 7 gas plant in the country.

Receiving the NLNG Key from the out going Managing Director of the company Babs Omotowa, Attah said the company is committed to the construction of Train 7, saying that with the instability in the industry, the company has no choice but to grow value and competitiveness in the global LNG market.

Atah made this commitment at a farewell and welcome ceremony held in honour of the executives, the ‘NLNG Key changed hands’, marking the formal end and commencement of the tenures of Omotowa and Attah respectively.

He said: “Our reality today, is that as a business, we are again faced with significant challenge from within and without. Fuelled mainly by oversupply and underperforming global economies, international energy prices are once more travelling southwards. While domestically, the insecurity, which bedevilled our industry and others several years ago will appear to be unfortunately returning to the headlines.

“Today’s reality means that as a company which wants to continue being successful, we will most definitely have to think and act differently going forward. And I strongly believe-because I have seen it- that at Nigeria LNG we have the talent, the resources and most importantly, the will to continue to be successful and extraordinary. Successful entrepreneurs go above and beyond in everything that they do. They, more than anyone else know, that without the right skills and will to achieve their goals, there won’t be any ‘extra’ in their ‘ordinary’. That is what today holds for us all – the opportunity to do better than we did yesterday and the day before that. I believe that this is why today is called ‘the present’; it is a gift, and we must accept it with equal quantities of grace, appetite and commitment,” he said.

He commended the NLNG Board of Directors, led by its chairman, Chief Dr LongJohn, for the continuing support, describing the directors as “leaders whose relentless creativity, commitment and zeal have served us tremendously well over the years, and whose qualities we look forward to benefitting from, well into the future.”

On his predecessor, he said “anything other than success in Bab’s assignment five years ago would perhaps have meant that Nigeria would return to the top of the international gas flaring table. It would have meant that at NLNG, we would be wondering about who we are, corporate culture-wise.

It would have meant that NNPC and other shareholders would have to look elsewhere for several billions of dollars in revenues over the years. It would have left Nigeria without approximately $6 billion in much needed taxes.”

In his farewell remarks, Omotowa said: “NLNG is an inspiration that is changing the narrative about Nigeria; same as Daewoo in South Korea, Mercedes in Germany, Toyota in Japan, etc. All hands must be together to protect this jewel.“It has been an amazing five years that I have been privileged to occupy the position.

He expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for leadership and support for NLNG. We met with the President last year and he gave us tremendous support. He was really concerned about the growth of the company. I wished we implemented the growth programme with a Train 7 in play now. The increase in volume by 40 per cent would have counteracted the 60 per cent decline in crude oil price,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of NLNG management and staff, the Deputy Managing Director, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, said: “Rest assured that I and the rest of the NLNG family welcome you with open arms, and are ready to give you all the support which enabled your predecessor to safely excel at his job. As you already know, there is not likely to be much rest, but we wish you plenty of excitement and fulfilment in the days ahead.”